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Posted April 2, 2009 Kids are discoverers. We all start out life as discoverers. Until we are old enough be taught, we each explore and discover the world for ourselves. We discover that when we cry, mom will take care of us. We discover that if we drop something, it will fall. If we pull the dog's ear we learn how it will respond. We discover the law of gravity as well as rules of human behavior. Early childhood is one long, continual process of discovery, or self learning as opposed to education where information is transmitted intentionally. And somehow as we grow up, it seems we discover fewer and fewer things for ourselves, perhaps because our educational experience has taught us to learn from other sources rather than from our own observations and intrinsic process of discovery. Or perhaps we form inflexible opinions and make the world fit these preconceptions rather than continually seeking to refine our knowledge and understanding of people, life, and the world. Good toys are an important part of this early discovery process. Through play, children experiment with and discover for themselves the working of the physical world as well as how to interact with others, both adults and children. Through game play in particular, we discover the unwritten rules of social behavior; what works well and what does not. All human knowledge starts with discovery. Through discovery the world is changed in small and profound ways. Toys encourage and enable the discovery process.
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